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Back pain is a common symptom that many people have from time to time. However, if your back pain keeps coming back and affects daily activities, it can be frustrating and difficult to manage long term.
The spinal cord, which runs down the middle of the back, is protected by vertebrae in the spine. When these bones are damaged due to degeneration, they can put pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, causing pain and disability.
Chronic back pain isn't just back pain. It can be difficult to live with it, some even to the extent of being bedridden. It is a serious condition that can affect your quality of life. Various factors cause chronic back pain, and that's why managing it requires an individualized approach.
All of Pain New York pain management center offers a number of treatment options for managing chronic back pain. So understanding your chronic back pain can help you find the right approach to managing it. In this post, we'll discuss chronic back pain, how long it can be expected to last, and several ways you can manage your pain to get on with your life.
What is Chronic Back Pain?
Chronic back pain is a common problem that affects more than 60 million people in the United States. It is defined as a condition that lasts for longer than three months. If you have chronic back pain, you may have difficulty sleeping, performing routine daily activities, or enjoying physical activity. Chronic low back pain is the most common type of chronic pain experienced by adults and children.
Chronic back pain often results from an injury, overuse, or from degenerative changes in the spine. These changes may occur due to aging or due to trauma, such as a fall or motor vehicle accident. There may be no apparent cause for chronic back pain in some cases. The nerves in your spinal cord can become irritated over time and cause nerve inflammation, which leads to muscle spasms and increased sensitivity throughout the body. The pain can be constant or intermittent.
Common causes of chronic back pain include:
• Injuries such as strains or sprains
• Osteoarthritis — a wear-and-tear type of arthritis that affects joints throughout the body, including those in the spine
• Spondylolisthesis — when one vertebra slips forward over another vertebra
• Spinal stenosis — when there's narrowing in the spinal canal where nerves exit the spine
• Facet joint syndrome — inflammation of one or more joints between vertebrae that allows for movement of your spine
How is Chronic Back Pain Different from Acute Back Pain?
It's important to know the difference between chronic and acute pain because they require different treatments. Acute back pain is short-term and lasts from several days to several weeks. It's generally caused by an injury or sudden movement that pulls or strains the muscles and joints in your lower back. It often goes away on its own within several days.
However, chronic back pain is not the same as acute back pain, which comes on suddenly and requires immediate medical attention. It lasts longer than three months and can be hard to diagnose and treat.
You may have chronic back pain if you:
• Have pain that lasts more than three months
• Have had multiple episodes of a similar type of back pain
• Experienced a traumatic injury, such as falling or twisting your body in an awkward way, which led to the pain
• Have a history of back problems that started when you were young (childhood) or middle age (adulthood)
• Are unable to sit or stand for long periods of time without discomfort or pain
• Have trouble sleeping because of pain in your lower back
If you have chronic back pain, you may have injured your back in an accident and never recovered or have started experiencing trouble after years of doing the same repetitive motions at work. It may be helpful to talk with a pain specialist about treatment options that can help improve your quality of life.
How to Get Relief from Chronic Back Pain?
Chronic back pain can make it hard to do daily activities like standing up, bending over, or walking. The first step is to understand what may be causing your chronic back pain so that you can address it appropriately and avoid future problems.
The diagnosis of chronic back pain depends on your symptoms and how long they last. For example, if you have had severe, disabling pain for more than three months, you will likely be diagnosed with chronic back pain.
It's important to know that there are many treatments available for chronic back pain. Treating chronic back pain requires a combination of treatments and lifestyle changes. Health professionals use many different types of treatments depending on what's causing the pain and how severe it is. In addition, some treatments work better than others for certain people with chronic back pain.
Although there's no cure for chronic back pain, there are many different treatment options that can help relieve the symptoms and reduce your risk for complications. If you're suffering from chronic back pain, consult a pain doctor to discuss your options and determine which approach is best for you.
A chiropractor specializes in treating this type of condition using manual adjustments and spinal manipulation techniques that relieve pressure on nerves in the spine and help muscles heal faster after injuries or surgeries.
A physical therapist can also help treat chronic back pain by using different techniques to ease muscle spasms, reduce inflammation, and increase flexibility in your spine. Exercise therapy can be used to help relieve chronic back pain and strengthen muscles around the spine that support the spine's weight and help keep it stable during movement.
In addition, exercise helps strengthen muscles in the back area and improve flexibility while reducing stress on joints in the area. It also increases blood flow to muscles and joints in the area, which helps keep them loose and flexible, so they don't become stiff or sore easily.
Don't Let Chronic Back Pain Control You!
Being in pain can be really exhausting. It drains you of the energy you need to live your life and enjoy daily activities. Chronic back pain is a medical problem, and therefore, it is best to consult a New York pain management professional if you start to experience this type of pain.
Keeping track of what triggers your pain and reducing those factors can help you gain a measure of control over the situation instead of letting it control you. By understanding your condition and what's causing it, you'll be armed with the tools you need to minimize your pain and live a happier, healthier life.